There can be no doubt that Belgium has enriched the worldwide metal community with great black metal bands. Enthroned with their heretical debut, the early outputs of Ancient Rites and in particular the last EP of Slaughter Messiah come to my mind. Infernal Legion also originated from the country between the Netherlands and Luxembourg, but they failed to become an equal partner to the aforementioned hordes. Enthroned celebrate blackness, Ancient Rites trigger majestic feelings and Slaughter Messiah take the listener on a journey into the deepest pits of hell. Infernal Legion are different. Sad but true, their compositions do not evoke any kind of emotions.
Stale leads that do not know whether they want to be harsh or rather harmonious, an average voice, an overdose of mid-paced sequences and the complete absence of outstanding riffs prevail on "Sculptured Humans", a full-length without any outstanding songs. Wicked yet catchy choruses are missing as well. Everything appears half-hearted, because the dudes are not able to create the necessary degree of intensity. But black metal must be intensive. This is no easy listening music and no superficial entertainment. Yes, Infernal Legion occasionally try to combine black metal with some death metal ingredients, probably in order to be stricter than before. Listen for example to the growling of the lead vocalist and the guitar work in "Under Influence of Sickness". Yet this does not mean that they generate this feeling of inevitability that gilds true black metal. To add insult to injury, they are not able to make a good song out of a promising start. The strong beginning of "Gift of Destruction" just peters out.
The Belgians attempt to generate a solid level of variety, but nobody writes fascinating songs as long as she or he just strings together different sections. It's nice to integrate tempo changes and breaks, but at the end of the day, they are definitely no end in itself. And here the pieces do not profit from the compositional twists and turns. Although the tunes are not overly complex, they fall victim to their lack of coherence. This results in the fact that 38 minutes can be a very long period, before the album comes to an end.
Finally, the ordinary production cannot save the material. The mix fails to give the compositions an individual note. In view of this unfortunate situation, "Sculptured Humans" does not deliver any arguments for a recommendation. Belgium has given the global metal scene some really good black metal bands, but this is not to say that each and every formation from this country is relevant. Alas, this full-length serves as proof.
"Sculptured Humans" is a neat piece of obscurity hailing from the wretched bowels of Belgium's netherworld. Oddly enough, I found this record mysteriously rotting in a clearance box at a local record store, sold for a wallet-ripping price of two dollars. I remember looking at the artwork, almost sure that "Sculptured Humans" was the work of an extreme metal band of some breed: the band's logo was (and still is) indecipherable, and the morbid artwork was hellish and ghastly. I had never heard of Infernal Legion to begin with, yet I was pleasantly surprised with what this forgotten number offered. Melodic black metal in the vein of Dissection is (or was, they canned their title for the less-gripping The Reckoning) the seminal focus of Infernal Legion, but some elements of death/thrash metal rotate in the band's circulatory system as well. The album is a quick dive into the realms of darkness and doom, channeling the ethics of black metal but avoiding clichés and haphazard moments most of this identity encounter.
Infernal Legion's approach, contrary to the Dissections and Sacramentums aboard, feels much 'hotter' and violent than the cold, nocturnal atmospheres created by the aforementioned idols of melodic black metal. The opening section of the boiling "F.T.W." sort of generalizes what the remaining album represents through the bloodthirsty blasting and mincing tremolo picking which appeals to the work of melodic black metal in riff texture and general sophistication. Interestingly, atmosphere does not play an important role. "Sculptured Humans," however, seems more like a riff-based episode than most of the melodic black metal nature; some of the melancholic harmonies and beautiful interludes are simply nonexistent. The guitar work is at least compelling enough (and melodically insured) to hook the sub-genre's prime qualities, perhaps not in the sight of Dissection prophets, but it works regardless, and fairly well too.
As one could guess, Infernal Legion doesn't have any surprises behind its back. There are a few cuts that chop the gunning speed down for a bit, using slow, mid-paced tremolo riffs and punching percussion to get the band's testimony across, and it should be noted that these numbers are remarkably fresh and fun, and might be the biggest accomplishment of Infernal Legion's buried legacy. The only track that truly attracts the exterior themes of melodic black metal is "Under Influence of Sickness," a song that exclusively flows between chilling melodies and Infernal Legion's go-for-the-throat mentality with aerial precision, and easily the peak of the record's offerings. Honestly though, you basically get what you expect: lots of black metal riffs and an overcoat of filthy, violent torment.
"Sculptured Humans" could never match the bitter power and instrumental ingenuity of its main influences, however. The song writing is noticeably novice, and Infernal Legion's lack of originality perhaps invoked a chameleonic shade on the band and their isolated debut. Whatever the reason, our world has overshadowed Infernal Legion, yet the material within has more than enough substance to surpass a number of groups calling upon the melodic black metal spell, which certainly sings of the band's encumbering ability and knowledge of the postulate. At times the album looks too gritty and savage for its own good, but that's the beauty of "Sculptured Humans." It's a raw, primitive upheaval of nihilistic sorcery touched by melody’s black hand ever so elegantly, and it was definitely worth the cash. Look into this one; it may shock you.
This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com